Keeneland Barn Notes — Friday, April 16

By Amy Owens —

FRIDAY, APRIL 16

Racing runs through Friday, April 23. First post every day is 1:05 p.m. ET.

Use Keeneland.com to watch live coverage of all Keeneland races during the Spring Meet,
including interviews with winning connections after every stakes.

Click here for complimentary programs and past performances courtesy of Digital Programs Presented by Baird. Keeneland programs will be available for the entire season.

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· CANADIAN HORSE OF THE YEAR MIGHTY HEART MAKES 2021 DEBUT SATURDAY AT KEENELAND

· CANADIAN CHAMPION SAY THE WORD IS FORMIDABLE PRESENCE IN ELKHORN

· MURPHY RIDES AGAIN AT KEENELAND

· PROBABLES FOR CLOSING-DAY BEWITCH

· GALLOPING OUT

· SPRING MEET LEADERS

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CANADIAN HORSE OF THE YEAR MIGHTY HEART
MAKES 2021 DEBUT SATURDAY AT KEENELAND

Larry Cordes’ homebred Mighty Heart, who Thursday night was named Canada’s 2020 Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old male, will make his 2021 debut Saturday in Keeneland’s eighth race, a 1 1/16-mile allowance optional claiming test on the main track.

Trained by Josie Carroll, who also conditions 2020 Canadian champion 3-year-old filly Curlin’s Voyage, Mighty Heart shipped to Keeneland April 3 from Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida.

“He has been training well at Palm Meadows and this is a starting point for the year,” said Sue Lorimer, assistant to Carroll, who is overseeing the trainer’s small string at Keeneland.

Winner of the Queen’s Plate and Prince of Wales Stakes in September, Mighty Heart worked 5 furlongs here last Saturday in 1:00.60 as his final prep for his 4-year-old debut.

Lorimer and Melanie Pinto, who has been Mighty Heart’s rider through the winter and spring, did not have much a celebration last night.

“We watched it (the virtual presentation) and then it was lights out,” Pinto said.

Mighty Heart is by Dramedy, a son of Distorted Humor who won Keeneland’s 2015 Dixiana Elkhorn (G2) at odds of 30-1.

Other 2020 Sovereign-winning horses with Keeneland connections are:

Artie’s Princess (female sprinter) – the homebred for Ken and Sarah Ramsey is based at Keeneland with trainer Wesley Ward.

Gretzky the Great (2-year-old male) – ran here in the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) Presented by Coolmore America.

Say the Word (male turf) – entered in Saturday’s Elkhorn (G2).

Skywire (older male main track) – sold for $47,000 as a yearling at the 2017 January Horses of All Ages Sale.

CANADIAN CHAMPION SAY THE WORD
IS FORMIDABLE PRESENCE IN ELKHORN

Another horse who was honored last night with a Sovereign Award as a Canadian champion and is entered to race at Keeneland Saturday is Say the Word, who will make his fourth start for trainer Phil D’Amato in the 36th running of the $200,000 Elkhorn (G2) going 1½ miles on the grass.

After Say the Word won the Northern Dancer Turf (G1) Presented by Pattison at Woodbine last October for trainer Gail Cox and owner-breeder Sam-Son Farm, Agave Racing Stable of Mark Martinez purchased an interest in the gelding from Sam-Son.

“I give my input to Agave, but this was all Mark,” D’Amato said. “I was just lucky enough to get him. He is a Grade 1 winner and I just try to do as good a job as the previous trainer.”

It did not take long for Say the Word to make his presence felt in D’Amato’s barn.

“He is one of the barn favorites,” D’Amato said from his home base at Santa Anita, where Say the Word has been based since December. “(We) just keep feeding him peppermints and keep him happy and healthy.”

For D’Amato, Say the Word was a close third in the Hollywood Turf Cup (G2) at Del Mar and in his most recent start was runner-up in the San Luis Rey (G3) at Santa Anita. In between those races was an 11th-place finish in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Park.

“We learned from the Pegasus: We took him out of his style and he didn’t like it,” D’Amato said. “Just let him do his thing early and let him fly home late. I imagine that is what he will do Saturday.”

Now 6, Say the Word will be making his third Keeneland start on Saturday. He notched his first career victory here April 27, 2018, and a year later finished third in a 1-mile allowance test under the tutelage of Graham Motion.

“I had to look way down in his past performances (to find the Keeneland starts),” D’Amato said. “That’s good. It shows he likes the course.”

Say the Word has raced at 11 tracks in his career. D’Amato hopes a return to Del Mar in the fall is in the cards.

“He has rattled off a couple of triple-digit Beyer (speed figures) and that says a lot about him and suggests he fits,” D’Amato said. “We are hoping for the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) and he showed ability at Del Mar and that is a good gauge.”

MURPHY RIDES AGAIN AT KEENELAND

Prior to this week, the last time Cindy Murphy had ridden at Keeneland was the 2000 Fall Meet – where she picked up a victory on one of her three mounts.

“Sumthintotalkabout for (trainer) Steve Hobby,” Murphy said Thursday afternoon without a moment’s hesitation. “I have not ridden here since.”

Back at Keeneland, Murphy rode a couple of 2-year-olds for her husband, Travis, finishing fourth on Wednesday on Knocker Down and sixth Thursday on Alia Max. Both races were won by runners trained by the meet leader, Wesley Ward.

“We didn’t run as well as we liked,” Murphy said. “We just shipped in (from Remington Park in Oklahoma) and we are shipping out for Prairie Meadows (in Iowa).”

The Murphys do have another Keeneland entrant, Teo Mateo, on Sunday, April 18.

Riding since 1987, Murphy has compiled 1,975 victories in her career – many under the name Cindy Noll. She will head to Iowa nearing a milestone.

“I don’t like to say much about that,” Murphy said, not wanting to jinx herself and adding with a laugh, “You count my Quarter Horse wins, I am over 2,000 but they don’t mix the two.”

PROBABLES FOR CLOSING-DAY BEWITCH

Friday, April 23 marks the closing day of Keeneland’s 2021 Spring Meet. The featured race that day is the 59th running of the $150,000 Bewitch (G3). Entries will be taken Sunday, April 18.

According to Keeneland Stakes Coordinator Tiffany Bourque, probable starters in the Bewitch are Cambeliza (trainer Arnaud Delacour), English Affair (Rusty Arnold), Kalifornia Queen (GER) (Chad Brown) and Three Flamingos (Cherie DeVaux).

Possible starters are Daddy Is a Legend (George Weaver) and Dalika (GER) (Al Stall Jr.).

GALLOPING OUT

Ten Thoroughbreds are among the entrants for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event to be held April 22-25 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The prestigious competition is based on a combined score of each horse and rider in dressage, cross-country jumping and show jumping. Click here for more information about the Thoroughbred participants.

SPRING MEET LEADERS

Through April 15 (9 days of 15-day season)

Jockey

Starts

Wins

2nd

3rd

Purses

Luis Saez

59

19

9

12

$1,504,226

Joel Rosario

47

12

7

8

$1,214,017

Tyler Gaffalione

41

9

8

6

$685,246

John Velazquez

27

6

2

5

$332,294

Irad Ortiz Jr.

24

5

7

3

$499,142

James Graham

36

5

2

4

$215,675

Trainer

Starts

Wins

2nd

3rd

Purses

Wesley Ward

31

11

8

5

$828,021

Brad Cox

23

8

6

2

$1,057,409

Todd Pletcher

14

8

1

3

$694,098

Ben Colebrook

13

5

0

2

$193,635

Mike Maker

26

4

4

5

$316,750

Rusty Arnold

13

4

2

3

$225,905

Owner

Wins

Juddmonte (Fahad bin Khalid)

3

Three Diamonds Farm (Kirk Wycoff)

3

Castleton Lyons (Shane Ryan)

2

Godolphin (Mohammed Al Maktoum et al)

2

Merriebelle Stable (John Moores and Charles Noell)

2

Kenneth L. and Sarah K. Ramsey

2

Shadwell Stable (Rick Nichols)

2

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